Cigarette created fire in home where woman died

Published 7:00 pm, Friday, July 25, 2008

Although a cigarette was the cause of a Country Meadows subdivision house fire in Tomball July 21, the 43-year-old woman who died in her master bedroom died prior to the fire, according to her family.

Janie Rich’s 25-year-old son, Timothy Rich, said it was his father, Timmy Rich, who arrived home around 5 p.m. and discovered the windows of the second floor master bedroom above thegarage had turned purple from smoke.

“He thought someone had tinted his windows,” Timothy Rich said. “My dad opened the door in between the garage and the house and he said the white floor was black with soot.”

Timothy Rich said one of his younger brothers was across the street from the Rich home, visiting with neighbors at the time of the fire. He rushed to his house and tried to knock down the door to his parent’s master bedroom.

“But he almost got blown back,” Timothy Rich said.

According to Capt. Rick Grassi of the Tomball Police Department, a fire truck was dispatched to the home on Country Hill Court two minutes after the 9-1-1 call was received around 5 p.m. With in six minutes fire crews were on the site.

“Fire crews worked the scene from the ground up,” he said. “They couldn’t get through the beedroom door and had to bust out a window to get water to the master bedroom.”

Neighborhood resident Jim Ross said he arrived home from work as the emergency crews worked to put out the fire. The witness said once he saw the smoke coming from the upstairs window, he knew no one could have survived. Outside the home, bright orange cones blocked Country Meadow Drive, the street giving access to Country Hill Court where the Rich family’s home is located. Residents parked cars along Country Meadow and walked past fire trucks, an ambulance and other emergency vehicles.

Police tape strung-up outside the front of the house blocked gathering neighbors, family and friends of the woman from accessing the house. A stretcher from an ambulance sat empty in the front yard as emergency medical service crews awaited word from the medical examiner that they could collect the body for transport.

Outside the home a bus was parked. Inside members of Rich’s family - including her husband - were counseled. Grassi said the family’s minister was also with the Riches as they waited for the medical examiner to arrive.

Timothy Rich said his mother was a smoker. He said the bed she was laying on caught on fire.

“She had the bedroom door shut,” he said. “She gets really cold, and the vents in the bedroom were closed. It sucked all the air out of the room.”

Timothy Rich said it was as if the bed had melted from the heat and that there were “no true flames” from the fire.

“It was like melting metal,” he said. “Her body and the bed just baked.”

Grassi said initial reports do not indicate the woman was depressed and intentionally set the fire. Nor do initial reports indicate foul play may have been involved.

An autopsy has been completed; however Grassi said it will take weeks for the results to be released.

Timothy Rich said the medical examiners office told his family that Janie Rich didn’t fall asleep smoking. According to his father, it was the Mire Marshal's Office that shared the news.

“She may have had a heart attack or some sort of stroke,” Timothy Rich said. “Thank God. We were scared she died from the fire. If she died before the fire, at least she didn’t feel anything.”

Timothy Rich said his mother was disabled with arthritis and a back problem. He and his two younger brothers lived at the house.

“At one point we had one of my brothers stay home with her,” he said. “She had very light seizures.”

Timmy Rich said his wife isn't all the family lost in the fire. He said the family dog also "melted" beside his wife's body.

The Rich home has extensive smoke damage, according to Grassi.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to relfect statements from Janie Rich's husband, Timmy.

In His Own Words:

Janie Rich's husband, Timmy Rich, wrote The Potpourri minutes before a July 26 funeral for his wife recounting the tragic incident:

Mr. Jones,

I am Timmy Rich. I just read your story. I would like to correct a few mistakes that was made on the facts.

First, I normally arrive home around 4:30 p.m. This day I had arrived home at 5 p.m. I always back in my car into my garage located below my bedroom. As I tried to get the door to go up as I pass my driveway I noticed the upper windows of my bedroom were purple.

I ask Brandon who is my middle son, who tinted my windows.That mom could not have done that, she could not have reached them. He said he did not know and agreed that someone else had to tint them.

I backed in my garage directly under the area w alter discovered was all the intense heat. As I got out of the car I noticed Theresa and little Mike out in front of their garage area working. I went in the door to the kitchen and immediately was hit with choking smoggy smell and I heard the smoke detectors going off.

I looked on the kitchen floor and noticed quickly the white spots where I was walking. I knew right then that if this was from a fire it would have been from my bedroom where my wife spends her days while me and the three boys go to work. At that second I ran to the garage and screamed across the street to call 9-1-1. She did not hear me the first instance and started walking toward me.

Then seeing the cloud behind me and seeing my face she ran to do it. Brandon always goes in the front door if unlocked. I don’t remember his next exact steps other than I knew I had to find out what had happened. I reopened the back door because the smog was too strong and I could not catch a breath. I ran to the stairs and Brandon was running down. I tried going up and fell on my knees and could not catch a breath. Brandon ran by me, holding his breath from outside and kicked the door open this time.

He came running to me and grabbed my arm and said dad we got to get out of here. I ran outside and Mike or me or someone got my shirt off and wetted it and I was going to try to put it around my face and get in that room. Mike would not let me go back in. He is training to be a fireman, and even though, I just wanted to save her. I was frantic as Mike Hill; the Northeast EMS paramedic drove up. I screamed to him to get me the oxygen so I can take it in with me and get my wife out of that room.

I had no idea how bad it was at that time and they all knew more than I. As I ran in place crying the fire trucks drove up. The go in very quickly and came back down to ask me if my wife had barricaded the door. I said no, that she had locked it since last week when she thought she heard someone in the house she called each and every one of our cell phones to see if it was us.

Brandon had already kicked the door to break the lock earlier. Mike had isolated me by now once he heard that. He is such a professional and great neighbor and friend. He made sure through the ordeal that I was always being attended to knowing the procedures that had to follow and the shock that I know I am still in. I called Richard, my best friend and the president of AC Plumbing Supply where I am the general manager over his stores. We had spent all day together at work and when I called him I was so choked up all I could say is she is gone she is gone.

He sad he had to look at his phone, as he though it was me calling but the sound he heard he had never heard from me. I said we come home and she is dead. He came right over, and I had Casey, my youngest son to call Janie’s mom. Janie’s older sister had passed away just four years and two days earlier. And I was too sick to bring this news to her this second.

She is married to my dad. My mother had passed away in 1998 and Janie’s dad passed away in 1994. I played matchmaker in 2001 and it worked. They married. My mother in-law became my stepmother as well.

Anyway as this long evening started unfolding and waiting for the series of investigations Richard had came to comfort us and my brother Terry and his wife also arrived, Jimmy Haven, one of my employees and friend came right over too. Crystal Kennerly also arrived with John who is a policeman in Willis.

John is the one that told me the truth for the first time, that Janie had been burned beyond recognition. I envisioned at that time her lighting a cigarette and having a seizure or something and burring up. It seemed the whole neighborhood ascended around and the compassion that was expressed was overwhelming. As I sit on the side of Mike’s house across from mine, I also realized that my 12-year-old Pomeranian that had slept with us every night was also up there and was dead.

I know that sounds petty compared to my wife but it just merged right in with the intense mourning I was already experiencing. My toothless dog, that several times had alerted us to Janie if Janie had fell or had a seizure, or had a problem tails did not think was normal. He barked in a different as if warning way.

We knew if tails barked a certain way to go check on momma. That is what I call Janie to tails and my boys. Anyway to go on, I now have to figure out what do I do. I am totally lost. Richard then suggests that we all go eat and of course he seemed to be able to calm me down as well as could be expected. Water was the most I could have at that point. I was rocking in and out trying to make sense of what had just transpired.

Things kept flashing in my head and I was very sick at my stomach. He then went to a hotel and rented us a room and waited till we got there and made sure we were all safe. His mild manor and understanding was so appreciated. This was about midnight. I could not sleep and realized that I now have a problem. Offers were made from all to come and stay with them, but I felt so bad that I did not want to burden anyone with the dept of what I was feeling. I know I would be welcome but I knew also that I had more than me to consider.

I could continue this and explain much more, such as why my purple windows were purple, or the bed I bought from Bubba melted my wife, or what I think about how my room with the coating from that smoke did not flame up but melted everything plastic up to my microwave oven which was at the other end of my master bathroom, but it would take a couple more hours and I have to get up and meet my pastor at 9 a.m. to go to funeral at 10 a.m.

I have had less that 10 hours rest this weak, so please excuse me wanting to correct your errors in your article. I did not find out from the medical examiner about my wife’s lungs not having the toxic fumes in it, but from the fire marshal who was out of town when this happen.

He called me two days later to ask for a signature permission to search my house. As I was trying to tell him my bed theory, he gave me the best news of the week. He said that the medical examiner had informed him that this death was not a death by fire. For that I praise god. I had been in contact with the medical examiner to help them find records that would identify my wife. I told them the night of the incident that Spring Dental had the records. I also had told them about four other hospitals that should have them as well as Tomball Chiropractic Clinic. I got a call on Thursday to release the body as the dental records proved who it was. I cannot begin to tell you what I have went through this week and it is not finished.